Is The Game even a rivalry anymore if Michigan loses to Ohio State every year?

The Game used to be the best college football rivalry but it’s not anymore and it’s Michigan’s fault because they always lose to Ohio State.

There are three guarantees in life: Death, taxes and Michigan losing to Ohio State.

The hammer and the nail is not a rivalry because the nail never wins. The same is true of the Ohio State and Michigan rivalry. Ohio State is the hammer and Michigan is the nail. The hatred between the two programs, coaches, players, students, alumni and fans is what makes this the best rivalry in sports, but the actual football game between Ohio State and Michigan for the better part of the last two decades has been a laugher.

Ohio State gave Michigan a false sense of hope in the first quarter when they scored on the opening drive and only trailed 14-13 after the opening stanza. Then, Ohio State went on their patented second-quarter onslaught to outscore their rivals 14-3 to pull away. J.K. Dobbins had a career day with 211 yards and four touchdowns to possibly earn a Heisman invitation in the 56-27 win.

This marks the eighth straight win in The Game for the Buckeyes who have also taken 14 of the last 15 in this rivalry that is completely one-sided on the field. Both programs have cycled through All-Americans and plenty of NFL players and coaches have come and gone, but the one constant in the rivalry has been the Ohio State dominance over Michigan.

When the debate over the best college football rivalry pops up, Ohio State – Michigan is always going to be at the top with the Iron Bowl rivalry between Auburn and Alabama. However, for me, the last decade has seen the Iron Bowl overtake The Game as the top on-field football rivalry.

The only reason is that Auburn occasionally beats its rivals. Even when Alabama appears to be an unstoppable force, its rivals have found a way to win. Whether that involved an all-time player making a historic comeback like Cam Newton did or it’s a kick-six by Chris Davis to propel a team of destiny, that fortune hasn’t been with the team up north. And Auburn wasn’t just occasionally beating Alabama either. They were going to the National Championship Game.

The winner of the Iron Bowl won or played for the national title in five straight years from 2009-2013. Funny enough, it was Ohio State beating Alabama in the College Football Playoff semi-finals that snapped the streak. Ohio State has continued to win and compete for national titles but it’s been since 1997 when the Wolverines last won it all. The closest they came was in 2006 when Ohio State beat them in The Game to end that dream.

Michigan has lived a nightmare ever since.

Jim Harbaugh was hired to beat Ohio State. After five years, he’s still looking for his first win in the one game that really matters for Michigan. This was supposed to be the year for him to get that elusive win with the retirement of Urban Meyer and the loss of Dwayne Haskins and others to the NFL. The same was said about former Ohio State coach John Cooper for years before he was ultimately fired for not beating Michigan.

Harbaugh’s team returned a lot of talent, especially on offense, but it didn’t matter against Ohio State who looked like they could have won The Game by running Dobbins one very play and never passing with their Heisman candidate at quarterback, Justin Fields.

In the five games with Harbaugh as coach, Michigan is 0-5 and getting outscored 221-126, or 19 points per game. In the five years preceding Harbaugh’s arrival, Michigan was 1-4 vs. Ohio State with a cumulative 187-131, with three losses being one-possession losses. Even when they lost, they were at least competitive and weren’t embarrassed like they’ve been the last two years.

Michigan will beat Ohio State at some point. But as long as Ohio State dominates the rivalry like the hammer to the nail, it’s hard to make the case it’s the best on-field rivalry in college football. I’ve said similarly as a fan of the Chicago Bears when the Green Bay Packers would beat their rivals twice a year. It’s a rivalry because the two sides have played each other for a century and everyone hates everyone not because the two trade wins every other year.

It’s not Ohio State’s fault they are so good and make their rivals look so bad. It’s not their fault their coaches can’t win a big game. It’s okay to blame Harbaugh for anything-everything. He should have been more aggressive instead of settling for a pair of field goals. He should have gone for a two-point conversion earlier instead of attempting early in the fourth quarter. A better play could have been called on an unsuccessful fourth down when trailing by 15 in the fourth. There’s plenty of blame to go around.

Michigan left points on the field, but they also played their rivals better than any team this year. They still lost. It really wasn’t even competitive for three quarters. And that’s the bigger point. Ohio State is just that great. Michigan is good but Ohio State might have the best team their program has ever produced.

The two programs are on different levels.

Ohio State competes for national titles. Michigan competes for Outback Bowls.

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